Second Chances
by stacywriter
Summary: Lani Price takes a pregnancy test - is it a false positive, or is she pregnant?
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue:**

Pink – _two lines._

She turned back around and slowly stared at the pregnancy test stick once again, almost as if she had imagined the results the first several times – but no – there was no question in what she was seeing, both lines were clearly defined.

So, unless this the test was wrong – she was in fact pregnant.

There was joy.

There was fear.

There was – _what if this is a false positive?_

His voice echoed from the other side of the door, anxious and nervous on the results – it was his voice that threw her back into reality, knowing that keeping him in the dark for one more second wasn't an option, even though this wasn't planned or the best timing – especially considering that she was still knee deep in the middle of an semi-undercover investigation, one where she couldn't just disappear without the suspect questioning her whereabouts.

Moving to the door, she exhaled before turning the knob and opened it.

"So?"

In reaching for the pregnancy stick on the bathroom counter, she felt a nervous twinge when turning back around in order for him to see the results, which it all seemed so surreal to him at that moment that he struggled to react. All he seemed to do for the next couple of seconds was take a breath inward, focusing solely on the lines of the test. "Two lines—that means…" he finally whispered before his words trailed off.

Lani finished his thought, "Possibly Pregnant."

He exhaled as the words left her lips – _possibly pregnant. _

The two knew that if she was, their engagement would need to be shortened or even put on hold, considering the idea of walking down the aisle pregnant wouldn't be in the cards, not with the kind of wedding dress she had in mind.

"Lani – "

Her eyes shifted from the pregnancy test up to him.

Eli then found a way to snap back out of the sheer shock, as he bit down on his bottom lip and slowly reached for her hand – knowing that she had to be rocked to the core at the possibility of not only being pregnant and carrying another baby in her belly, also remembering the way it had ended tragically for them the last time.

This time would be different.

This time they were in love.

This time – he would be there from the start.

She glanced at the results one more time before setting the pregnancy test stick back on the bathroom counter, right before she turned off the lights and led Eli out of the bathroom and back into the room, where she could finally sit down and process what just happened.

Clearly, she wasn't expecting to see those results.

It honestly threw her.

_Was this the right time for this to be happening?_

Once they both entered the room, Lani dropped her hand from his and sat down on the edge of the bed, feeling a little uneasy about how he would react – after all, this was happening because she had been on medication for an upper respiratory infection, and obviously it had caused the birth control pill to be ineffective, something that is very rare but possible.

"How are you feeling about this?"

He shoved both hands in the front pocket of his jeans – _how did he feel?_ He loved her, that's how he felt. Having a baby with her – it was something that he thought about and it honestly had always held more meaning for him after they lost David, it was then that he had realized just how important she really was to him and why.

And now – it meant more than he could possibly say.

"You know I love you."

"That's not what I asked."

True, it wasn't what she asked; it was, however, a big part of the reason that he wanted to dive into this without hesitation, no second glance backward and no regrets. "Maybe not—" he drew out in the midst of removing both hands from his jean pockets, and then walked over and sat down next to her on the bed. "With you – I'm all in." Lani found herself smiling cautiously, as he met her gaze, and she couldn't deny the relief she felt inside.

This time – there wasn't any unnecessary stress about ending the pregnancy.

In reaching for her hand, the palm of Eli's hand covered hers while leaning forward and placing a soft kiss against her lips, trying to reassure her that they would go through this, pregnant or not, together.

Lani took a breath inward as their lips parted, their foreheads barely inching away from the other. "I guess I should make an appointment," she then continued softly, "to confirm whether or not we're really pregnant."

Eli pulled back with a nod and responded quickly, "I want to be there."

"You have that meeting—"

Shaking his head and cutting her off mid-sentence, "That meeting can wait – I want to be there."

Lani knew it was a losing battle, to sit here and continue going round after round with him about whether he should put off the meeting, in order to be there for support – even if the test turned out to be a false positive or negative, she knew that he wouldn't feel right if he wasn't with her.

This wasn't going to be like last time.

There weren't secrets and lies surrounding a pregnancy between them.

If she was pregnant – it was their time, and it was meant to happen.

* * *

Eli had been filling the Commissioner spot for the past few months, whether it was temporary was left to be seen; however, so far there were only a few bumps along the way, especially between the two of them – and as he held Lani in his arms that night, he knew this was bound to cause another rift between them if she was pregnant, in regard to the job.

He'd want to keep her out of the field.

She would still want to be involved in the action.

Either way, it was something he found himself thinking about that night, knowing he would want her and the baby to be safe and protected at all times to ensure that she carried full term, or at the very least, make every attempt on his part for this to happen.

* * *

Walking into the interrogation room a few days later – Eli found Lani deep in thought.

"You almost ready?"

She had been chewing lightly on the pen in hand as she glanced upward from the laptop, once he entered and closed the door from behind. It had been a tough morning – for her in particular, struggling to stay focused on the undercover assignment – what her next meeting would be and where, how she was going to stay focused on the main goal; although, focus was not on her side that day, as she found herself staring at the clock every few seconds, something that wasn't exactly unavoidable.

Their appointment to confirm the pregnancy test was in less than an hour.

"I've been ready for hours," she admitted, closing the screen on the laptop while watching him intently as he sat in a chair directly across from her, and forcing an optimistic smile as he leaned forward with smile to match. "You know, it could be a false positive test. We might not be pregnant."

"I know."

_Did he?_

A part of her wondered if that thought entered his mind.

Lani wanted them to be realistic – the test seemed to show that she was pregnant; at the same time, though, there were so many ways it could have been wrong. What if it had been defective? She couldn't think of other reasons, but there had to be plenty of other causes for a test to show a positive result when it wasn't? And she just didn't want either of them to build up their hope on this being their time – that maybe – _just maybe.._.maybe this was their chance to be a family.

"I'm sorry, I just don't want to hope for something that might not happen."

Eli could sense her nervousness – he then rose to his feet, walked around and sat down on the edge of the table, facing her and waited until she turned to him. "Lani listen…If it doesn't happen – we will be all right." A soft smile appeared and then he said, "We still have each other; we're still getting married. We have time." He could always calm her like nobody could, and she did the same for him. So, this time was no exception. She stood, stepping in between his legs, and his eyes suddenly closed the second her soft hands cupped his face and brushed her lips against his.

"What was that for?"

After taking a few steps backward, she shrugged while gathering the paperwork next to the laptop, and scooping the pile in her arms, right before stepping back to him with a smile on her face. "For always making me feel better, for loving me in the way that you do."

And he did – he loved her in ways that nobody else had or could.

She did the same for him.

Eli stood from the table and followed her out of the interrogation room, knowing they would soon find out if the test was accurate and whether or not they were going to be parents in the next 9 months. If not – that was their answer. And if she was, he couldn't help but wonder if she would be considered high risk, mostly because of what occurred during her first pregnancy?

And then what?


	2. Chapter 2

Note - 1st chapter is actually a Prologue. :)

**Chapter One:**

Eli sat in a chair near the nurses' station, silently glancing in the general direction Lani had disappeared with Kayla, practically feeling consumed with thoughts of both possible outcomes to the pregnancy test she had taken days earlier, considering it was the sole reason they were there in the first place.

_Pregnant? Not pregnant? _

_What was it going to be? _

_What did he want, did he even know?_

It was true, their lives were hectic – him filling in as Commissioner; Lani the lead detective in a high-profile undercover operation, one that he fought from the start and eventually gave in once points were made, not only by her but others as well.

All of this could change if she was pregnant – _if they were pregnant._

_His life._

_Her life._

_Their life together._

_All of it._

If she was pregnant, one thing he knew – she would be an amazing mom.

There was no doubt.

And while he knew it would rock her to the core to know they might be having a baby, there was concern for him on how she would handle it if they weren't? How would she deal with it emotionally – would she pull away, in the same way she did after they lost David?

He shifted, a little uneasy at the thought.

Voices of a bickering couple were suddenly heard, causing him to push away the swirling thoughts filling his head, and unintentionally picking up bits and pieces of their conversation – she was upset that he didn't want to be there – he was whining about her making him take time off work.

_Supportive._

_Real supportive._

Eli couldn't help thinking about Lani in that moment, just as the couple walked around the nurses' station. Were these two people who should be having a baby together? Probably not. Although, it really wasn't his business either way – it didn't concern him.

* * *

Lani felt impatient waiting in Kayla's office, as she sat in a chair on the other side of the desk – they had opted against a blood test, considering it would take a few more days for the results, which is something her or Eli didn't want to do; instead, another urine test was ran.

_It wouldn't take long_.

Words spoken that may not have seemed long to Kayla felt like an eternity to Lani – and she figured to Eli as well – who was probably sitting out there in a state of nerves as she was; although, possibly for different reasons all together.

The door finally opened.

_This was it._

_Moment of truth._

Lani took a slight breath inward while glancing at the door, just as Kayla closed it and smiled in her direction. She couldn't tell by Kayla's half-smile – was she going to wish her good news that could change her and Eli's lives, or was nothing was about to change?

Either way, whatever was going to happen was going to happen.

That was, until Kayla sat across from her and told her the news.

"I'm sorry Lani, but the test is negative."

_Negative?_

_As in - not pregnant?_

Lani took a moment to gather her emotions before asking, "Are you sure?"

Kayla nodded, admitting that she was in fact certain.

"I see…" Lani's words trailed softly, not really sure what to make of her feeling in that moment. It was a lot to take in and digest. "I just – I thought home pregnancy tests were supposed to be accurate?"

Kayla leaned forward slightly and said, "Home pregnancy tests are typically 99% accurate. There are still possibilities for a false-positive result, which in your case, that is what happened." She could tell Lani was taking it all in; and after everything that occurred with baby David and the circumstances of the conception and death, this was the last thing she had wanted to tell her. "I'm sorry.," she spoke and then followed her words, "This doesn't mean you can't get pregnant. It just means that now wasn't the right time."

The next thing Lani had to do was walk out of the office and tell Eli.

Tell him that she wasn't pregnant.

Find a way to forget that it had been a possibility.

* * *

After a silent ride back to his place - Eli glanced backward as he turned the key in the door, just to ensure that she was still behind him, and she was, just trailing a little further back than he expected.

He then stepped inside the room.

Once she did the same, he closed the door behind them.

"Can I get you anything – something to eat, a glass of water?" Eli finally asked, feeling as though he needed to say something without asking the details on what he really wanted to know, which was what had happened in Kayla's office - was she pregnant? He had a pretty good idea, though, more than a gut feeling based on her body language from the moment they left the hospital, he was just waiting for her confirmation.

Lani tossed her handbag as she breezed by the chair, eventually lowering herself onto the edge of the bed.

_Would he be disappointed?_

_Relieved?_

She wouldn't know how he really felt until spilling those words – the ones that had almost surprised her; doing so would make it a reality - their reality. "Kayla ran another urine test while I was there, I didn't want to wait for a blood test – I'm not pregnant."

Eli met her gaze as the words came out of her mouth.

_There it was._

He was feeling some type of way – it was an unexpected feeling. He couldn't lie – a part of him felt disappointed, knowing that they weren't going to go through the late-night cravings, the doctor appointments, feeling the baby kick for the first time, the shopping, the birth, and mostly importantly holding their baby in his arms.

So many thoughts in his head at the possibility of her being pregnant.

_What would it mean for their lives?_

_What would it mean for their relationship?_

_How would they handle it financially?_

Now, they both needed to understand it wasn't their time – not yet.

Lani's eyes shifted down and then back to him, watching as he moved to the bed and sat down next to her. He had been quiet, not uttering a reaction once the words finally left her lips. And then suddenly he reached for her left hand, where the engagement diamond was placed around her third finger – while she might have gotten news that she hadn't quite expected, it still didn't diminish the fact that they had a good life together, and she was happier and more in love with him than ever.

He touched the diamonds, covering his hand over hers.

"If you need me – you know I'm here for you."

For a brief moment, Lani took in that feeling and the words coming out of his mouth; remembering how it felt like a punch in the gut when Kayla walked back into her office, to explain it was a false-positive test, and that she wasn't pregnant. However, she also couldn't forget about the high hopes her and Eli felt, once they saw the display on the pregnancy test that she had taken.

Maybe that had been her fault - their hopes were too high on the possibility.

Suddenly, Lani slid her hands out from his and stood from the bed, which caught him off guard as he watched on with confusion. There was this attempt on her part to shake off the somber mood they seemed to be feeling, mostly because it felt like it was her own damn fault, anyway.

"Lani—"

She forced a smile, turning back to him after grabbing the handbag from the chair. "We should get back to our lives – you have a meeting, and you can't be blowing it off to sit around with me all day, feeling bad about something we can't change." He was still looking at her with confusion. "And now that we both know I am not pregnant – I can get back to the case I've been working on."

Eli was more than confused – he didn't understand this at all.

_Couldn't she take a minute to let this disappointment set in?_

_Couldn't they take a moment, just the two of them?_

He wanted to know how she was feeling; wanted to be there to support her - the last thing he wanted to witness was her shutting down, especially with him, and then throwing herself back into the job when her emotions were all over the place.

"Lani, can you just stop for a moment and look at me?" he asked, and then quickly stood from the bed, taking a few steps toward her as he noticed she was half way to the door. "Please." Once she stopped and turned back, he felt as though what was going on in that moment wasn't good. "Maybe you should take the day – maybe we both should."

She shook her head.

It was the last thing she wanted.

"No," she told him, flatly.

He breathed, keeping a small distance between them. "I am not speaking as your fiancé on this – I'm speaking as your boss on the job." He bluntly stated, quickly catching the glare coming from her as his words left his lips. "Look – you went from feeling as though you might be pregnant to finding out that you're not. I don't want you to go back into that assignment with your emotions all over the place. You know as well as I do, it can lead to a mistake on the job – one that can get you killed in a split second."

She shifted back and turned the knob slightly, avoiding eye contact.

A slight breath escaped her lips.

"Are you saying that you think I'd be careless? That I can't separate my personal situation from what I need to do on the job? Because if you are, that is completely unfair." He didn't respond as she looked at him; instead, his eyes shifted down. "I can take care of myself. I am not some fragile flower that is going to break."

He took another few steps and reached for her hand.

It wasn't that he reached for her that stopped her cold – it was the grip against the diamonds, reminding her of their commitment, and his deep stare once her eyes turned to him – they were pleading her to do what he asked, which was to stay there with him and deal with the emotion that she was obviously feeling, to let him go through it with her.

He didn't want her distracted on this undercover assignment.

"What about you?"

He released his hand – taking a step back. "I'll turn off my phone if you do."

...


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Two:**

It was too late – her phone already started to ring, not once but several times before finally giving in and answering, even though Eli looked disappointed as he stepped back. It was clear by the look, the conversation between them wasn't over.

He wanted her to stop for a moment – breath and deal with the emotions.

For her, it hurt.

_The test had been negative._

So now, she had a job to do.

He did as well.

Being that she wasn't pregnant – it meant there was no reason to delay the assignment any further; nothing holding her back from diving back in – being able to explain a couple days of disappearing and not available was doable, she had the skills to explain that away pretty easily – however, having to alter her involvement long term came with risk.

Not just for her – everyone that was involved in this operation.

This included the bank and their employees.

"Sorry – yes, I'm here and I can be there before closing," she finally responded, despite knowing Eli would be less than thrilled. It was something she tried not to worry about, as she shifted away from the thoughts around her non-existent pregnancy, and back onto the direction she was being fed on the other end of the line – from the man they were trying to bring down.

Him personally, and those he roped into the business.

Eli sat down on the side of the bed, not only thinking about how she was avoiding the false-positive result from earlier, but also the impact of the case from that test – it all seemed like it would end in disaster as he watched her closely – taking in every change in tone, every single word spoken – all of it.

It was clear by both her tone and body language that she was a bit unnerved by what was being said, which led him to believe the phone call wasn't from anyone at the SPD or the bank.

After all, she had been working as a banker for the last several months in an undercover assignment on money laundering, not only working but partially leading due to certain connections – and this particular customer seemed to have taken a liking to her for more than the ability to set up accounts for new businesses, or even transferring funds between several domestic and international accounts.

It was the personal side of this case that had gotten under Eli's skin.

The way he called after hours – shifting money between accounts.

Granted, she was there to tap into the illegal side of those transactions.

Once the call ended and she shoved the phone back in the handbag, there was this force between them that could be felt from across the room. Unable to be ignored for a second longer - her eyes shifted to meet his gaze that was still on her, and for a moment, she questioned what she was doing.

"You're going to leave here and go to him, aren't you?"

_Go to him?_

_This wasn't about her being torn between two men._

A part of her felt annoyed by his words, so much so that she considered turning around and walking right out the door, leaving him to wonder and for her to know that she was doing what was necessary, which was to bring down more than one criminal.

A thought that only lasted for a split second.

"I won't be gone long, if that's what you're asking."

Nodding, Eli broke the gaze between them – it wasn't that he doubted the importance of what she was doing, he knew the significance around this case – it was the timing of it all that he didn't like.

Lani watched on with a bit of sadness after he looked away.

Not even a few days ago, there was a slight chance she could be pregnant.

There was a brief flash, where they thought they were heading toward the next path in their lives – marriage and possibly starting a family, which felt scary and exciting at the same time. And then today happened – their dream of that possibility was smashed in seconds with one word – _Negative._

She wanted to move to him in that moment.

More than anything.

Unfortunately, she felt like she'd been disappointing him at every turn.

It was then that he stood from the bed and walked around her, without so much as a glance backward before reaching the door – feeling exhausted, he gripped the doorknob and turned it enough for the door to open slightly, and then glanced over at her.

"He's waiting."

_What did he think she was about to go do?_

Lani threw her handbag off to the side, not caring if it landed on the soft cushion of the chair or on the floor, possibly even breaking into several pieces. She couldn't believe this mood – was he upset for her doing her job, that he was about to push her out the door – and rather quickly?

He watched her step to him – cover one hand over his around the doorknob.

Loosening the grip, she let the door close – slowly.

With that, he stepped away – leaving her shocked.

Maybe it was her fault for slightly shutting down when they returned to his place – not that she was wanting to discuss how she felt; after all, she could barely process those feelings or how she would feel about it the next day – it was this shift in his mood since she'd gotten that phone call that worried her, especially since they had already dealt with his concerns over this case and her role in it.

Were they back there again?

Or, was this about the pregnancy?

Eli wasn't exactly sure how he was feeling in that moment – he'd practically pleaded with her to step away for a night and be with him, where there were no phones or emergencies to call them away from dealing with the emotions, the reality that they were not about to have a baby.

He wasn't about to stop her, though – it was a losing battle.

They'd been down that road and he rarely won those rounds.

In defeat, he walked over to a nearby cabinet and opened a drawer, pulling out a glass and a bottle of liquor. He couldn't help but notice that she was still there – who knew what that even meant; if anything at all.

"I can't blow this investigation Eli – you know I can't."

He was listening – he just didn't turn to face her; instead, he opted to open the bottle and pour himself a drink, quickly taking a swig to numb the sting from the conversation they were about to have – or wouldn't have, that was yet to be determined at this point, considering she said she wouldn't be staying.

"I never said anything about that."

She faced him, despite the way he seemed to be drowning his sorrows – she just wasn't sure what it was about. "Do you?" He shrugged, glancing slightly. "Is this about me not being pregnant – are you angry with me? Or, is this about the case? Are we back to that again? What – tell me!"

Eli turned to her rather quickly. "Both."

_Both?_

_He was angry at her for not being pregnant?_

That honestly hurt her.

Before he had a chance to pour another glass, he felt the grip from her fingers against the bottle, removing it from his hand and setting it on top of the cabinet rather loudly, obviously not thrilled he was drinking or that he was evading her questions.

Either way, she was upset.

Trying to hold in her disappointment with his behavior, she waited until he stopped and looked at her. "I didn't expect this from you – maybe that's on me; maybe expecting more from the man I love was – "she paused and leaned closer to him before continuing, "I was going to say, the man I am going to marry – or maybe even _was _going to marry…I guess that's up in the air now too, huh?" She moved away from him and picked up the handbag off the floor as she walked back to the door, and then turned the knob to open it. "Should I even bother coming back here tonight?"

For a moment – he didn't say anything.

Not because he didn't want to see her - mostly because he was an idiot.

"Yeah – use your key when you're done."

She hung in the doorway for a brief moment – partly wondering if he was going to say anything else or if he was just going to let her walk out that door like his words, and lack of reaction about their future, didn't even happen or have any meaning.

Maybe he said it to hurt.

Maybe for another reason.

Either way, it _did_ hurt her.

Eli couldn't break his gaze from her, knowing he let things go south when he shouldn't have – an idiot by not explaining when he had the chance. He let her assume he wasn't concerned about the comment surrounding whether they should end their engagement, which he knew was something he didn't want to do.

The words came out all wrong and it was too late to go back and change it.

The hurt was already in her eyes.

With that, the door slammed and she was gone.

He leaned against the cabinet, letting out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

* * *

Pulling into the parking lot of the bank, Lani found herself taking a couple seconds on her way inside to wrap her head around what happened at Eli's place – they were both drowning in their disappointment and casting blame on each other.

It wasn't like them.

Honesty with each other was part of who they were.

She knew the reasons he felt that her emotions would cause risk to the undercover assignment, and it was clear that she was holding onto a wave of guilt from her false-positive pregnancy test, but ultimately turned it around on him.

Shaking off those thoughts when reaching the door before opening it, she noticed Mr. Castillo waiting for her in the lobby. He appeared anxious and happy to see her.

"Good evening, Mr. Castillo…" Lani's words trailed, entering the bank.

"Same to you."

He was short – no time for small talk.

Clearly, this was going to be a quick business-only matter with him, which she knew meant matters needed to be handled quickly – that is, if there was a chance in completing the transactions before end of business, which only gave them about a half hour.

No pressure.

Lani led him to where she had been sitting for the past few months, appearing as though she was a regular banker even though the rest knew she had one customer, and that was Mr. Castillo, which luckily for her, there was no indication he had picked up on any of yet.

"What can I help you with today?"

The man sat in a chair across the desk from her – pushed a piece of paper in her direction, almost a half dozen numbers written down, which he then told her that $3 million dollars needed to be shifted from three of those accounts to the other 3.

"And you need this completed when?" Lani asked, logging into the computer.

He just looked at her.

"In the next thirty minutes?" She drew out in a breath from shock, knowing that there was no way this would clear for posting in such a short amount of time. It was, after all, $3 million and not $300.

Instead, she smiled in his direction. "I'll see what I can do."

* * *

Eli had finally given up that Lani would be returning, knowing he needed to be back at the SPD early the next morning, especially since he had practically cancelled a meeting that day – letting out an exasperated sigh, he pulled off his shirt and stripped down to his boxers, right before turning off the lights and dropped into the bed.

It didn't feel right without her next to him.

He wanted to be with her – especially after what happened at the hospital.

Suddenly, a key was heard in the lock of the door.

"Shoot—" a soft whisper echoed, and then keys fell to the floor.

Not moving from the bed – Eli waited until she entered, wondering if they would get back into their routine or if she was going to want to talk about what had happened. A small smile spread across his face when he heard her fumble in the dark and open a drawer, only allowing her cell phone light to search through it for one of his t-shirts, since she still hadn't left any of her own at his place yet.

He quietly slid down to the edge of the bed.

A light then flickered through the window as she lifted her shirt – allowing him to see the outlined curves of her body, practically standing near the bed naked after slipping out of her jeans – right before she pulled the t-shirt over her head and dropped it down her body, leaving nothing else underneath but her panties.

"Hey—"

Startled by his voice before noticing him on the edge of the bed, mostly because she hadn't realized he was even awake when she had entered the room. "Hi, I thought you were asleep." It was then that she felt him reach out and grab for her hand, in an effort to pull her closer.

"No – I was waiting for you, to see if you were going to come back here," he spoke in a low tone; and even though he couldn't see her facial expression, he knew her well enough to know what she was thinking. "If you want to talk about earlier—"

Lani pressed an index finger against his lips, silencing his words.

"Not tonight."

She then stepped between his legs, closing the distance between them.

They were barely able to see the other – only flickers from the street light.

She then cupped her hands on either side of his face, lowering down to brush her lips to his – soft and gentle, sensual and arousing. And he felt a hunger to touch her – skin to skin as she stepped closer, his hands wandered up her thighs and underneath the cotton material that was covering her bare skin, and it was then that their kiss began to intensify.

He pressed a hand against her lower back.

Lani lifted both knees onto the mattress on either side of his waist - she shifted her body over his, straddling him, pressing her lips against his and feeling the way his hands worked their way under the t-shirt and pushed her toward him – breaking from their kiss for a split second, she took his cue and lifted the t-shirt over her head and tossed it on the floor.

He took a moment.

She did the same.

His hands moved to her hips – lowering her down onto his lap.

A light from the window flickered over them briefly – he knew he'd never been more in love with any other woman than he was with her – never wanting to fight or love as hard with anyone else, which he had regrets from earlier when they fought, but it only mattered with her.

Right now, all he wanted was to show her how much she meant to him.

Lani placed a hand to his cheek, leaned forward and pressed her lips to his.

Slowly, his hands moved from her body onto the mattress, slightly holding the both of them steady, just as she leaned toward him and deepened the kiss between them. It was strong, filled with passion, hard and soft at the same time.

Their lips then separated, just a brief moment.

He wanted to get lost in her.

She wanted to forget they even argued.

Eli then felt her fingers graze his bottom lip, teasing as she rested her forehead to his gently, allowing the both of them to take in the moment as the warmth of her breath brushed across him, all that remained was this urge he had to taste her once again. And when he couldn't take it a second longer, he removed her fingers and waited patiently until she pressed her lips to his, gradually moving them back onto the bed.

...


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Three:**

He woke early to find her still entangled in his arms – all he could do was watch as she slept; knowing that at some point they would need to discuss the events of the prior day, where they both were dealt with the blow that she wasn't pregnant, and how they handled it.

Lani wasn't dealing with it – she had pulled away; declaring it was for the sole purpose of their jobs, trying to justify the reasoning they needed to let it all go after finding out the results. However, it was her actions that he didn't handle well.

That was, until she returned and the temporary distance between them had disappeared.

He noticed her shift, just as his lips touched her forehead.

"Good morning," Eli spoke softly, once her eyes darted to his.

They smiled – still in temporary bliss.

A part of her had this overwhelming urge to reach upward and pull him close – for the two of them to have a repeat of last night before needing to be at the station, as she knew once they did it would be all business. He would be buried in meetings; she would more than likely check in and then be on her way to the bank, hoping to make more progress in the case; Or, they would be spending it in his office arguing around the reasons he felt she should be taken off the case.

None of it sounded appealing.

Luckily for her, those thoughts were interrupted once his lips touched her neck.

And then trailed down to her shoulder.

It didn't take long before the body heat was felt between them – just as she cupped the back of his neck to move him closer, while he gripped her waist from underneath the sheets, lifting her slightly until her body finally covered his. There was no way he could ignore the way she felt when her skin touched his – or the way she kissed him in that slow, deep and wet way, and how it made him forget for a split second that he needed to be at the station in less than an hour.

It also didn't take long for that heat to vanish.

The mood suddenly cut short by the ringing of her cell phone.

And just like that - their lips parted and she slid off him.

Eli grunted as he exhaled, glancing over in her direction – his body cooled as she left him and moved back onto the bed, away from him. Sounds of the ringing of her phone continued until she finally reached across the night stand and answered, which he tried not to pay attention to the conversation – However, as it dragged on, his gaze became locked on the way her backside was exposed from the light coming in from the window, hitting her curves just right, just as he turned on his side and inched closer.

Keeping his thoughts off the night before didn't seem possible.

She suddenly felt his presence, as the conversation continued. "Yes…I mean – yes, I can meet your associate in a couple hours – does he have access to all the accounts? Is there anything I should know before meeting him?"

Eli's hand began to move across her back slowly, finding their way underneath the sheet.

Shifting from his touch - just as his lips trailed kisses down her back, sending shivers down her spine.

Almost causing her to lose complete focus.

It was intentional - that was obvious.

Lani felt slightly irritated, trying to focus on the conversation between her and Mr. Castillo – however, Eli was making it rather difficult, and she was confident that he was fully aware of that fact. "OK – yes, no problem." Her hand quickly covered Eli's, once it crossed over her waist and onto her stomach. This was not easy. All she could do was hope that her suspect didn't notice the deep breaths on the other end of the line.

Quickly – she found a way to end the call.

At that point, she had no choice.

Lani placed the cell back on the nightstand, and then inhaled when turning back around to face him – refusing to be taken in by the smirk that was spread across his face, she wanted him to know that she was not pleased with the stunt he just pulled. "That wasn't funny."

He shrugged.

"I mean it, Eli."

He reached across to pull her close – her being naked underneath the sheet wasn't lost on him, either. "You know…" his words trailed, as his hands came in contact with the side of her waist, only a thin sheet between her skin and his. "you're beautiful when you're like this."

She wasn't amused.

Not even a little.

When he attempted to cover his mouth over hers, in a semi-apology – although, he didn't feel as bad as he knew he should. After all, he wasn't about to apologize for getting her off the phone with that criminal, considering he wasn't all that convinced there wasn't a layer that it had turned personal for Mr. Castillo; however, he did feel a little bit of guilt from the investigation that she had put in a lot of time to solve, as the both of them took their jobs seriously.

She had to know that at least.

But he wanted her.

That feeling was taking over all other thoughts he had at the moment.

When his lips grazed hers – he was left cold when a hand pressed against his chest and pushed back from him. Right then, he opened his eyes and could see that she was serious – mostly because she grabbed the sheet from across their bodies in one quick movement, right before slithering out of the bed.

Standing to the side – light flickering around her.

To him – she was beautiful; took his breath away.

To her – she was annoyed that he would attempt to get in the way of her job.

Lani wrapped the sheet around her body and said, "I'm going to go take a shower and get ready for work—" her words trailed and then briefly came to a halt, once she glanced down – noticing he had not covered himself since she tore the sheet off him. "Don't follow me."

Once she disappeared from his view, staying back wouldn't be easy for him.

* * *

After stepping into the SPD, Eli spent the better part of the morning on calls and in meetings – unfortunately, one of them pertained to the case that Lani had been working on for the past few months, and he was less than thrilled at the request that was coming in, considering it meant he had two very unappealing options: One – put her in harms way when he knew her emotions weren't in-tact; Or, Two – yank her from the case and send another detective in to get the job done.

She was not only one of the top detectives, she was his fiancé.

He had made an oath that their relationship would not to get in the way of the job.

If this was any another other detective – he'd send them in to finish the job.

It wasn't – and everyone was watching to see how he would handle it.

When he heard a knock on the door, he called out for the person to come in – it was Rafe Hernandez, who had been Lani's partner and a close friend; however, there had been a little bit of tension between them since Eli slid in as Commissioner, which on this particular undercover assignment he had chosen a fellow detective, Mark Sullivan, to step in and be her partner.

10 years on the job.

Respected by his previous squad.

There was just one problem – now that Eli was being instructed to turn up the heat on this investigation, he needed to decide if Sullivan could be trusted to get the job done and also watch Lani's back for unnecessary chances –granted, their jobs came with risk, which now that he was Commissioner, there was only one choice to make.

There was no reason to pull her off this investigation.

It would be wrong.

For her – for the department.

He had to trust her instincts.

"Yeah – close it," Eli requested, and then turned his chair to face Rafe as the door shut. "I – what's your take on Sullivan? Working this undercover with Detective Price?"

Rafe smirked. "You worried about her?"

"No, not at all—" Eli evaded, as he was only worried because she found out their hopes of being pregnant were dashed, and he didn't want to see her throwing herself into this assignment, without any regard to her life or the life they were still building together. "I just want to make sure he's the right one to continue with this if it gets difficult."

What he really meant was – would this detective have Lani's back?

Obviously not in the same way he would, but he needed to know.

"Yeah, I don't think you have anything to worry about with Sullivan, I think he's a straight up guy and a solid detective. Lani is about as good as they come – she can handle herself." Rafe tried to put Eli's mind at ease, which he knew wasn't an easy thing to do under the circumstances.

* * *

It had been two hours since Mr. Castillo's associates had come and went – Lani had successfully transferred funds between almost a dozen accounts, all of which had cleared without any red flags. Not exactly what she hoped for when she stepped foot into the bank that day. However, she knew one of these times he would trust her and he would slip up, requesting her to make an illegal wire transfer.

The bank would be closing in an hour.

It had been a quiet afternoon for everyone.

So much so, that she had been surprised that Eli hadn't called.

He was either busy after what she assumed was a double booking of meetings, since he put them off to go to the hospital with her – unfortunately, they received disappointing news, considering the test ended up being false and nothing about their lives had changed.

They were still on the same path.

Hopefully, that meant walking down that aisle by the start of the New Year.

New Year's Eve, to be exact.

* * *

Eli Entered his room at the Martin House, halfway expecting her to be there waiting for him - especially since it had been late and he hadn't been able to reach her for most of the afternoon, in an effort to cancel dinner plans for the evening.

He even checked his cell – no missed calls.

No texts.

Before he had a chance to wonder, he heard a noise coming from the bathroom – there she was; stepping into the room and smiling at him. A part of him – maybe a fairly large part – felt relief that she was there waiting, rather than stuck at the bank after hours trying to take down Mr. Castillo's business. After all, it was only a matter time before the stakes got hotter and she was knee deep and thrown into the personal side of his operation.

It was a side of this that made him uneasy.

He knew what her next step would be.

Lani moved further into the room, away from him and over to the bed. "I used the key. "

"That's what it's for."

Noticing how he turned from her after a brief moment without so much as a smile, she could tell that something was wrong. Either it was about the day he'd had or this was about a case – either hers or another detective.

"What is it?"

Eli dug into the cabinet drawer and pulled out a glass and a bottle of liquor – he had a day and a drink or two sounded about right. "It's been a long day – maybe we should talk about this tomorrow." He knew she wasn't about to let that slide – and she didn't, not really as she rose to her feet and walked over to him, forcing his eyes on hers as she closed the drawer and stood before him. "Would it be better if I went back to my place tonight – I could…"

He cut off her words and dropped eye contact, "No, it wouldn't."

The words were coming out of his mouth, but she wasn't sure if he meant them. "If you do—" she stopped, noticing him take a swig of the glass he had poured, watching very closely and knowing that the last time he did this they had received bad news – very bad news. "Eli, just tell me what's going on." She moved the bottle, and then his eyes met hers – for a brief moment, they just stood there in complete silence. "Is this about a case? Us? What?"

"A bit of both."

He picked up the glass, turned and went to sit on the edge of the bed; all the while, looking intently at her as she stood across the room. He glanced down, swishing the liquor in the glass, and then finally looked up again. "Can we talk about this tomorrow?"

Nodding, she moved over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

It was clear that they weren't going to get anywhere that night.

Not with whatever was eating at him anyway.

Instead, as she stood with one hand on his shoulder and the other by her side, she felt his gentle touch when he picked up her left hand and gazed up toward her. She wasn't sure what was going on - however, his eyes had this softness in them, and she couldn't bring herself to ask again what was bothering him, knowing that whatever it was, he wasn't ready to talk about it.

The reason was why?

What was it about?

She decided to let it go – for the night anyway.

"I'll be right back," Lani had whispered, right as she brushed the back of his neck and stepped away. Stopping to grab one of his t-shirts from the drawer, she glanced back at him before quickly disappearing toward the bathroom, which aside from his mood, was her typical nightly routine. He on the other hand, set the glass on the night stand and stripped down to his boxers before getting into the bed.

After about 15 minutes or so of waiting, she came back out and turned off the lights.

The moment she slipped into her side of the bed, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, laughter escaping from the both of them - her back to him through the darkness, unable to read his expression. That was - until she shifted around to face him. Then all of a sudden a glimmer of light hovered over them - just as she caught sight of the way he was looking at her, love laced with anticipation, and she knew more than ever that something heavy was weighing on his mind.

Still – she knew there was tomorrow to deal with it.

There was always tomorrow.

As she reached up to stroke his cheek, she inched closer and eventually brushed her lips against his until their mouths opened and their tongues touched, which caused Lani to let out a soft moan. He had this affect on her - something she didn't want to live without. And breaking from those thoughts, the warmth of his mouth left hers for a split second – her head then rested against the pillow, right before cupping his face and pulling him closer, wanting only to think about deepening the kiss between them even more as he responded back, with a hunger to match the way she felt.

His fingers began to slide underneath the cotton t-shirt wrapped around her.

It was in that moment that her entire body shivered from his touch – everything after that was a haze.

...


End file.
